Pokemon - The New Aura Guardians
by Zack747
Summary: A brilliant story about the protectors of the Pokemon world, the aura guardians. A new evil has awoken that can only be defeated by an aura guardian... but there exists no more aura guardians since Sir Aaron. Meanwhile, two trainers begin a brand new adventure... as fate would have it, these two face the new threat and this is the story of how they become the last line of defence.
1. New beginning

Ch-1. New Beginning. My name is Zack. I am a 13 year old, about to turn 14 tomorrow, living in Pallet town in the Kanto region. The current Kanto League champion, Ash Ketchum was a resident of this town too. Tomorrow will be the most important day of my life so far because That's the day I become an official Pokemon trainer! I already have a Pokemon though... He's been with me since I was born. He's a Pikachu I call Piku, and he's no ordinary Pikachu either... Normally pikachus tend to be useless due to their very low energy, but not Piku! My pikus one of a kind with huge amounts of energy and also a different sort of design on his tail. Even though I've already got a Pokemon, I'm not allowed to battle or do anything else a normal trainer is allowed to do because I haven't been registered as an official trainer in the Kanto League. Tomorrow's the day I get to become a real trainer and I am psyched up for that! I'm average height for my age. I've got dark brown hair with foggy blue eyes. My skin is sort of dark toned. Few things you have to know about me... First, I never back down from a challenge, ie, if anyone says it can't be done, I take it upon myself to make it happen. Second, Nothing is more important to me than the people and Pokemon I care about the most. Third, I love adventures however they are! "Zack! Go to bed! You can narrate the story tomorrow! You need your rest! Tomorrow's an important day after all..." "What's up with breaking the fourth wall and stuff, mom? You're not supposed to do that! Anyway, I guess you're right... I should go to sleep..." I set my alarm while replying. "Good night!" Mom said and she switched off the light. "Pika Pika!" My pikachu slipped in through the door and jumped onto the bed and cuddled up next to me as I slipped under the covers. Hugging piku, I went to sleep, contemplating on what Pokemon I should choose.

****Beep Beep Beep**** My alarm clock woke me and iku up. I tore off the blanket and jumped out of bed. Piku followed suit as I ran into the bathroom, brushed my teeth, had a quick shower and then slipped into the new adventure clothes my mom bought me. Rugged jeans, A blue top and a white jacket that had a Pokeball design on the back. Piku then jumped on my shoulders and smiled, approving my mom's clothes selection. Sliding down the rails of the stairs, I met up with mom at the breakfast table. "So, how'd you like your clothes?" She asked while spreading Nutella on a slice of bread. "They look great! Piku approves too!" I said and Piku gave mom a Thumbs up. Mom smiled and gave me the Nutella sandwich "I'm glad you both think so...Oh, yeah! I've got another surprise for you!" She said as if she suddenly remembered and she went over to the door and opened it. Dad stood in the doorway with a big box in his hands. "Dad! I didn't know you came!" I said as I ran over and hugged him. "Haha! That's the point of the surprise kiddo!" Mom stood beside me enjoying the happy family reunion. "You look pretty good Zack... you too Piku.." he held me at arms length and observed me. Piku squealed in delight as dad petted him. "Dad, how come your here? I thought you would be held up all month because of that new gang's terrorism..." I asked "Well, the league gave me a day off... it is my sons special day isn't it?!" He replied "Well, before you set off to professor oaks lab to register yourself and get your starter, I have a few things to give you too.." He sat down on the couch and gestured for me and mom to do the Same. Piku kept looking at the box in wonder while dad set the box on the table. He then took off the lid of the box with a flourish revealing a black and green bag with a green lightning bolt coursing down the middle. "This is trainer bag alpha!" He announced with a sparkle in his eyes "That's awesome!" I said, even though I didn't know what was so awesome about the bag. "But, what is it?" My mom asked.

"I'm glad you asked Mia... this bag is the newest and possibly the greatest invention of the Devon Corporation since the Pokegear! This bag has space for more than 3000 items and harnesses special dark void technology to make it feel like like it's empty even when it's full, that is, super light and easy to handle! It also has the standard seperate pockets for different items and automatically sorts any item into their respective pocket! it has an integrated tracking chip that you can use with your cross-tranciever+ to easily locate the bag if it gets stolen! The bag also has an integrated charging station that you can use to charge any device! It is also water-proof, leak-proof, fire-proof, tear-proof, bullet-proof and even proof-proof! Its the best bag on the market!" "Peka peka... " piku appeared stunned due to the amount of features on the bag. "If you didn't make it as an Elite 4 member, you would've made a brilliant salesman John!" Mom exclaimed laughing. I was in awe that a simple bag could have so many features! "Thanks so much dad!" I said and hugged him "it's no biggie Zack... Oh! I also got you a cross-transceiver+ to go with the bag!" He said and dug around in his pocket. He found the cross-transceiver+ and put it around my wrist. The cross-transceiver+ was the Same color as the bag. Black and Neon Green. "I've already registered myself and your mom on it, so you can contact us wherever you are..." "Thank you guys so much! I love all the stuff and I love you guys too!" I said feeling really grateful for such awesome parents. "Now, get out of here and become the best you can!" My mom said and put a hat on my head. "I'll be back soon guys! Come on Piku!" I waved goodbye and ran out the door as I slipped on the bag with Piku following close behind. Professor Oaks lab came into view and I ran for the door... only to slam into someone and fall on my butt. "Watch were you're going, you..." I started but stopped when I saw who it was. Alicia.

Daughter of another Elite 4 member, Bruno. Me and Alicia were born on the Same day... May 16th. But Alicia was born 5 minutes earlier than me making her, technically, the older one. Piercing black eyes, Dark brown hair and brown tanned skin completed her general appearance. Me and Alicia knew each other from the day we could speak... growing closer with each passing year. Today, she was wearing an ensemble similar to mine. An adventure suit, but for females. In attitude, I've never known a more gutsy and positive female before even though she's shy around people she doesn't know . She calls it like she sees it. Another thing about Alicia is that she loves adventure. Ever since I can remember, she was the one always getting us both in trouble with her challenges and whatnot. She has her own Pokemon too... an Evee named Sweetie. Pretty silly name if you ask me... "I knew I would bump into you today... didn't know it would be literal though" she said and laughed. I got up and offered her a hand. She grabbed my hand and pulled herself up . "So, you ready to start an epic journey?" She asked "Heck yes! Been waiting for this for a long time haven't we?" I replied "Mm hmm" she replied with a hum. "Ladies first... " I said and gestured towards the door "Haha! You know I don't like that sort of talk" she laughed and playfully hit me on the shoulder "Precisely why I'm doing it" I grinned. "Why don't we go in together?" She asked "Sure, why not?" We both stepped into the surprisingly low-tech lab.

"Welcome children!" Professor Oak shouted from the other side of the room. We walked upto him and greeted him. "Now, let me see, are you a boy or a girl?" He asked looking at me. I felt pretty weirded out at that and I was scared there was going to be an awkward silence while I thought of an appropriate answer, but thankfully the professor didn't allow the silence to linger. "Haha! Just messing with you!" He said slapping me on the back. I managed a weak smile and gave Alicia a look. She was looking at the professor like he was a weird Pokemon. "Whew! Okay... so you two must be here to get your starter Pokemon and register yourself in the league, am I correct?" He asked wiping tears off his face from laughing too hard. Alicia replied before I could, "You're absolutely correct professor!" She said brightly "Ah... Okay then! First of all, you need to pose for a picture..." We both looked at each other and then at the professor "... it's for your trainer card" he explained while getting his camera ready. "Can both of us be on the picture?" Alicia asked... I didn't know what to think about that, so I just kept quiet. "Oh no! That can't be done... we require individual photos for individual trainers..." professor oak replied while adjusting his big camera. "Jeez... That's a shame... it would've been Nice to have a trainer card with both our pictures on it... that way, we wouldn't miss each other.. " Alicia murmured. I smiled at that, happy to know she would miss me. But, then it occurred to me that I would miss her too and my smile fell. "All right! Pose for the picture young man!" Professor Oaks voice stopped my train of thought and I snapped back to reality. "Hmm... how should I pose?" I wondered out aloud, trying out different poses. Alicia looked at me and laughed at my current pose which made me sheepishly stop posing. "That's not a good pose silly! Here, let me help!" She walked over to me, giggling all the while. "Do you have a Pokeball?" She asked "My dad probably kept a few in the bag... it should be in the balls pocket" I replied thankful that nobody else saw that weird pose. "Oh Wow! Is this the Trainer Bag Alpha?! I have one too! My mom got me one!" She exclaimed and That's when I noticed her bag. Light Pink with a flower growing gracefully down the middle, it was the exact Same bag except for the design. "Is your dad here?" I asked as she checked the Balls Pocket. Me and Alicias Dad never saw eye-to-eye and he didn't like me hanging around with his daughter one bit. He was an Elite 4 member which made him even more difficult to cross. "No, he had to leave on some urgent mission to Viridian city..." I breathed a sigh of relief hearing that. She took out a pokeball and put it in my hand. "Now hold it up and make that determined expression I came to lov.. live with" she changed her words quickly as if there was something she was hiding. I did what she said. I stood there in that pose, wondering what she was hiding, while the professor took my photo. "Lovely! And you young lady?" Alicia seemed distant but was brought back to reality by Oaks words. Whatever she was hiding, it seemed to shake her enough to make her forget to pose and she ended up with weird poses like me. I dismissed the matter from mind and started laughing. "Here! Let me help... " I finally said walking over to her.

Even though she seemed pretty dazed, she seemed thankful for the help, but didn't say anything. I put my Pokeball in her hand and asked her to do what she made me do before and hold the Pokeball up. "Now the other hand on your hip... yeah! Perfect! Hold it right there... Now imagine you're doing something you're not supposed to do..." As soon as I said that, I guess she came back from wherever her mind had wandered, and her face twitched into that naughty smile I know so Well. Professor Oak took the picture and then said "Now, you may pick your starter while I fix up your digital trainer card.." and went over to the computer. There were three Pokeballs on the table next to us, and figuring That's where the starter Pokemon were, we walked over to it. There were plaques in front of each of the Pokeballs with information on what Pokemon was inside, it's Pokedex entry and a picture of the Pokemon. "I've already decided what I'm about to pick.. what about you? " I asked Alicia as my hand reached out for Charmanders Pokeball. "Yep... I've thought it over all night!" She said and grabbed Squirtles Pokeball. We brought out the Pokemon inside and Piku jumped off my shoulder to socialize with the other two Pokemon. Alicias bag opened up and Sweetie jumped out to do the Same. We watched as our Pokemon happily chatted away. This was a little like how the conversation went... "pika pika?!" "Char... char?" "Squirtle Squirt!" "Eeve eve..." "char char!" "Squirt..." Professor Oak came back just as the Pokemon began to talk about the chair in the corner. "Here are your trainer cards and your individual Pokedexs! " Professor Oak said as he handed us the Same. My trainer card was red and had my picture on it with a space for my achievements and badges. It also had a map of the kanto region on it... though miniature, it would probably come in handy... the Pokedex was like a big slim phone that would extend when the Pokeball in the middles enlarge/shrink/release button was pressed. Pretty decent tech I would say. "This is the start of our biggest adventure yet... and I'm already loving it!" Alicia said beside me. "Well, May Arceus be with you and good luck on your journey kids!" Professor Oak announced and then went back to the computer. "Guess we'll be going our separate ways then, huh Alicia?" I asked, knowing the answer before I asked the question. "I guess... I'm catching a ferry to cinnabar island to challenge the gym there... you?" "I'm off to pewter city to challenge Brock... I heard he just came back after going around the world with Ash Ketchum, my idol..." I said as we walked out the door of the lab, our Pokemon closely following, still chatting away. We both looked at the sun for a while before looking at each other again. "Well... I guess this is it then..." Alicia said with a smile on her face, even though her voice had a tinge of sadness about it. I retrieved my Charmander. Alicia did the Same with her Squirtle. "I'm pretty sure we'll 'bump' into each other on the road sometime... till then... to dreams and hopes!" I said and held up my Pokeball feeling pretty positive. "You're right! To dreams and hopes!" Alicia replied returning to her usual peppy demeanor and held up her Pokeball too, ready to bump with mine.  
>Just as we brought our Pokeballs closer, both our cross-transceivers started ringing.<p>

Startled, we both dropped our hands and checked who called, interrupting a beautiful moment. On my cross-transceiver+, my dad was calling and I peeked over and saw that Alicia's dad had been the one who called her. "What's up dad?" I said in a peppy voice, trying to cover up my disappointment in missing that moment. The image on the cross-transceiver+ was shimmering, like an old TV with a bad connection. My dad's face looked tired and worried, "I called to warn you Zack... do.. ****zzz**** come...****zzz****.. viridian city today! The place is crawling with team... ****zzz****..grunts! Go... ****zzz**.**. the...** **zzz**** don't...****zzz**** ..pallet... ****zzz** **zzzzz****" the line went dead and I was left staring at a screen which said *connection unstable*. Alicia seemed to be in a similar situation... staring at her cross-transceiver+ dumbly. "We need to get to Viridian city now!" We both said, looking at each other.  
>Knowing the urgency of the situation, we both ran through route 1 dodging wild Pokemon and staying out of tall grass. As soon as Viridian city came into view, we understood that there was something terribly wrong.<p>

The grass and road was upturned and there were fires in random areas around the city. People were running around scared and there was an old man lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious. There were uniformed men and women all around the city wearing flak jackets and camo pants with camo paint on their faces. They wore black biker gloves and wore an ammo sash lined with Pokeballs. The women had a camo headband too. The most commotion was in front of the gym. There was a huge circle of these uniformed men crowding around the entrance, but something or someone was stopping them from entering. Bursts of light, the sound of punches, explosions, and shouting was heard from there. Two uniformed men noticed us and started running towards us while un-clipping a Pokeball from their sash. Understanding what they were about to do, I took out my Pokeball and threw it, "Charmander, come on out!" In a flash of light, my Charmander appeared . Following my lead, Alicia brought out Squirtle just in time to meet the attack of two poochyanas. Since both our dads taught us to battle early on, we knew what to do.

Effortlessly teaming up, we read each others movements and planned our attacks accordingly, covering up each others weaknesses and working on each others strengths. Once we defeated those two, they appeared to be stunned at our battling skills. "Tell us what's going on here?" I demanded. "You ain't getting nothin outta me!" One of the grunts exclaimed. Charmander growled at him and he suddenly started sweating. "All right! alright! Just call your Pokemon off!" The other grunt seemed pretty scared too. "Charmander return.." I said holding out my Pokeball. Charmander disappeared in a red bolt of light. "Our boss told us to steal the red and blue orbs kept in the basement of the Viridian gym. When we reached, these two really strong older trainers blocked our way into the gym and told us to scram. Our admins didn't like being told off like that so they brought in reinforcements to fight those two, but we havent beaten them yet...they're getting tired though" the goon ended and ran off with the other goon into the Pokemon centre. Me and Alicia knew who those strong trainers were... and we intended to do anything to help them. We went into the cover of the trees to avoid being spotted. "Pika pika" Piku sounded worried. "How can we help them out Zack? We only have two Pokemon who aren't powerful enough to take out that many people..." Alicia asked while petting her eevee to keep it calm. I had no clue what to do but I had to come up with something. That's when I got what to do! "Alicia! Does your eevee know moonblast?" I asked, my plan slowly coming into shape in my mind. "Yeah... Why? What are you planning?" "And your Squirtle knows water gun right?" "He just learnt it.. Zack, what are you planning?" She asked, curious to know what im going to do. "The reason our dads aren't winning is because they've got too much pressure on them. They're being attacked from all sides, which gives them no other choice but to defend themselves and that leaves no room to attack... I'm guessing if we give then some breathing room, they can beat these guys easily..." I explained. "So what are you suggesting?" She asked looking pretty skeptical "A diversion.. big enough to get all their attention for a few seconds, at least. But first.. I need to make a call" I said and turned on my cross-transciever+ and prayed to Arceus this would work. Thankfully the call went through and dad picked up. I could feel Alicia watching behind me. "Dad, ready Dragonites hyper-beam... Me and Alicia are gonna give you a 5-second window to take out these guys!" I shouted over the noise around the place. "You two are here?! I thought we both told you to stay in pallet town?! Dragonite! Watch out! Use protect!" Dad was battling all those people while talking to me. "Dad, listen! We can help! Just ready a destructive move and tell to do the Same! We're gonna give you a distraction, but you guys shouldn't get distracted!" I told him and ended the call. "So, how are we gonna distract these many people?" Alicia asked with a sparkle in her eye and a crooked smile. "Come on... I'll show you".

We walked out from the side and came to the middle of the town. Everyone was too busy battling our dads to notice us, so we were pretty safe. "Keep your eevee there... your Squirtle here... Charmander, you Stay here... and Piku, right there!" I arranged the Pokemon so that they would form a cross . Piku opposite to Squirtle, Eevee to the south of those two and Charmander opposite to Eevee. "Piku, Squirtle and Charmander... use your ranged attacks and make them hit each other at a single point above you, in-front of Eevee... and Eevee you... " "use moonblast when the mixture in-front of you explodes..." Alicia finished, catching on quicker than I expected. "Fireworks... I like it! You've been watching the Pokemon contests on TV havent you?" She asked winking "Hehe... Yep..." I managed a sheepish smile and then readied the Pokemon. "Alright! Piku thunderbolt! Charmander ember! Squirtle water gun!" All of the Pokemon obeyed and did what I told them to do, resulting in a flash of red, blue and yellow light. The flash hovered in the air for a few seconds. "Sweetie, ready your moonblast !" I heard Alicia command. The flash of light exploded and I heard Alicia shout, "Sweetie, now!" I was so fixated on the flash cloud and it's explosion, that I didn't see Eevee actually performing the move... but I did see the pink ray of light that hit the flash cloud just as it exploded. The result was spectacular . The half exploded cloud shrank to a tiny speck of color and then exploded in a miriad of brilliant colors. The explosion caused concussion waves and also went bang. Me, Alicia and the Pokemon fell down due the concussion waves coming from the improvised bomb. The thugs were caught off guard and they all turned around to see what happened. I got up and saw dads dragonite launching the most powerful hyper beam I've seen so far. 's steelix fired a spectacular flash cannon. The hyper beam and flash cannon met at a single point and fused into a single beam of power. The beam sent the thugs flying and that was the end of the battle.

Alicia came up beside me and asked ,"We did good, didn't we?" "We did real good.." I said and smiled. Retrieving our Pokemon , we walked over to the gym. Our dads were both sitting down on the grass in front of it, resting. "I would punish you for disobeying me and coming here, but im too grateful to you for causing that distraction... So let's just call It a day and enjoy that beautifull sunset shall we?" Dad motioned for me to sit on the grass beside him. just stared at Alicia like she was some sort of normal type Pokemon. 's relationship with Alicia and her mother is pretty strained. He mainly speaks by grunts and bellows. His main method of communication is through his body language. Even though everybody knows he doesnt care about anything or anyone as much as he cares about Alicia and , he never shows it. He would do absolutely anything to keep those two from getting hurt, that being the main reason he doesn't like me. He believes I'm the main reason for all the trouble Alicia gets into. He's also a man who stresses on discipline, which both me and Alicia have very little of. If he tells someone to do something he expects it to be carried out to the letter. That's why he was staring at Alicia like he was doing now... because she didnt follow orders. Thankfully, my dad stepped in before it got too awkward. "Alicia, you did Well too... you just got that pokemon, but it already seems to like you a lot. Since you both helped us out a lot, I don't think we can scold you... so sit down and take a breather. Enjoy the sunset!" Alicia seemed eternally grateful to my dad. Her eyes told the whole story. Only when I got an indication that she was about to sit, did I sit down. "Pika pikachu!" Piku rolled around in the grass happily. Alicia sat down next to me and gazed at the sunset. said nothing . I considered putting my arm around her, but quickly dismissed the idea due to the fact that was sitting so close. "Did you feel it zack? When we battled those goons?" Alicia asked softly, not taking her gaze off the sunset. I thought back to the battle we had as a team. We shared this unspoken bond between us, knowing what the other was going to do before they did it and planed our moves accordingly. It was almost like we were were one person and not two. "Yeah, I did..." I replied just as softly, understanding what she meant. She didn't reply, but I felt her lose the tenseness she had since meeting up with her dad. "We're gonna have to leave now kids... it's getting dark and the league needs us back. Come on Bruno... let's go." Dad said getting up from where he was sitting. gave me a look and then got up, grunting. "You kids should probably get to a Pokemon centre before it gets dark... spending the night there would be a good idea. Coming Bruno? Dragonite! Let's fly!" With that Dad and left us all alone in a destroyed city. "You're going the other way right?" I asked pointing in the general direction of cinnabar. "I guess so..." Alicia said, getting up along with me. She put on a brave face, smiled, waved goodbye, and turned around to leave.

As she started walking away, I decided that we were meant to be on this journey together.. and I reached out and grabbed her arm. "When we battled those goons, I felt a bond deeper than anything I've felt before... and I want to feel that bond more and more. So, I'm asking you, Alicia... will you go on this journey with me?" She turned around, tears in her eyes, and hugged me! "Yes you idiot! Yes! You have no idea how long I've waited for you to say that!" That moment... was the most special one for me that day... and with that, the start of our biggest adventure began. "Pika!"


	2. See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil

Ch-2. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil

After that somewhat tearful moment back in Viridian, we made our way through Viridian forest. I couldn't dismiss that day from my mind. So, I let my mind wander back to the sunset in front of the Viridian gym as I walked through the tall grass beside Alicia.

After the hug from Alicia, we sat back down on the grass and just sat there looking into the sun, holding each others hands. "So, what do we now? Which direction are we going to go from here?" Alicia asked, turning her gaze from the orange sun to me. I looked at her and then smiled. "The destination doesn't matter as long as the journey stays amazing..." I said softly, remembering Dad's words. "Pika pikachu!" Piku said agreeing with me. "Well, if the journey needs to be amazing, we need to follow a direction. So... to Cinnabar or to Pewter?" Alicia asked looking back at the sun. "Eevee!" Eevee jumped off Alicia's shoulder and started digging around in her pocket. Alicia started laughing and giggling, "Sweetie, stop it! Haha! That tickles! Haha!" She doubled over laughing. Seeing her laugh made me feel really good for some reason. "Haha! Hoohoo! Heha!" She was laughing in different tones now. I got up and pulled Sweetie away from her, feeling that was the right thing to do. "Whew... thanks Zack..." Alicia said, straightening herself up and wiping tears off her eyes. "What's This?" I asked. Sweetie had a coin in her mouth. "That's what you've been digging around for? What are you trying to tell us?" Alicia asked taking the coin from Sweetie. I set Sweetie down on my lap and stroked it's soft fur. "Pika!" Piku ran over to Alicia and took the coin. "What is it piku?" Piku put the coin on his small paw and then tossed it in the air. Sweetie jumped from my lap and caught it in mid-air. "I think they want us to take a toss..." I remarked. Piku and Sweetie did something resembling a high five as I said that. "I guess That's fair enough. If it's Heads, we go to cinnabar..." "And if tails?" I asked. "Pewter city." Alicia answered. With that, she tossed the coin in the air... ready to catch it.

"Zack! Look out!" Alicia shouted, pulling the emergency brake on my train of thought, and tackled me. We both fell to the floor just as a huge... thing... passed over our heads at high speed. "Come on! Get up! There's a horde of beedrills coming this way!" Alicia shouted, pulling me up. "How many are there?" I asked, regaining my footing. "Seven, why?" Alicia asked as we ran. "Why don't we stand and fight?" I asked, still running beside Alicia. "Well... why not?" She realized and stopped running. Doing the Same, I turned around, only to be greeted by some sort of projectile coming at me. "Pika... Chu!" Piku lit up on my shoulder and stopped the projectile from coming any further with a well-aimed thunderbolt. "Thanks buddy..." I said and stroked him. "Come on out, Squirtle!" I heard Alicia say and almost immediately, with a flash of light, Squirtle appeared beside her. Instead of taking charmander out, I decided to use Piku for this one. "Ready to kick some butt Piku?" I asked him. " Pika Pikachu!" Piku said. I lifted my arm to form a straight line and Piku ran across my arm and jumped as he reached my wrist. "Thunderbolt!" I commanded just as Alicia shouted, "Hit 'em with a water gun!". Pikachu let loose a powerful thunderbolt that joined up with Squirtles water gun. A beam of electrified water hit the Beedrills, who fell to the gushing force of the water and the shocking power of the electricity. "I guess we did it..." I told Alicia. "Easier than I expected though... Well done Squirtle!" Alicia hugged Squirtle as I stroked Pikachus chin. Me and Alicia then captured a Beedrill each using the Pokeballs in our bag.

"So.. tell me more about Brock, Zack..." Alicia inquired as we walked out of the forest, pewter city looming before us. "Brock is the gym leader of Pewter City, specializing in the rock type. Brock was the former gym leader of the Pewter city gym, but he quit to join Ash Ketchum on his quest to be a Pokemon master. He was with Ash as he travelled through Johto, Kanto, Hoenn and Sinnoh. When Ash came back to Kanto after travelling to Sinnoh , so did Brock. Ash only stayed for a short time and went to Unova after. But Brock decided to return to his duties as gym leader and didn't accompany Ash... Right now, Ash and Brock are in Kanto, and I intend to battle them both!" I finished just as we walked into the Pokemon Centre. Alicia had listened intently and her eyes never left my face as I told her everything I knew about Brock. "You really idolize Ash don't you?" Alicia asked as she handed over the fainted Beedrill and her Squirtle, inside their Pokeballs, to Nurse Joy. I gave my Beedrill and Charmander too and answered, "Absolutely! I hope I can be as good a trainer as him!".

We decided to check out the city and then challenge the gym tomorrow. "Zack..." Alicia said absent-mindedly as we walked around the city under the moonlight. "Yeah Alicia?" I asked looking at her. "It just occurred to me that none of your Pokemon are fit to take on a rock-type gym..." she said with worry written over her face. I frowned... She was right. Pikus electric moves would have no effect on rock types, Charmanders fire type moves wouldn't do much and Beedrills bug or poison type moves wouldn't affect rock types at all. "My Squirtle can take out the rock types, but what about your Pokemon?" Alicia asked again. "I didn't think about that... do you have any suggestions?" I asked hopefully, sitting down on a bench under a lamp. "Actually... I do" Alicia said brightly as she sat down next to me. After listening to her suggestion, I was sure I'd have thought of it too. The answer was simple. In fact, it is the answer to almost every question... Catch a new Pokemon.

**********  
>Alicia was challenging the Viridian gym as I set out to find a Pokemon that could do Well against the rock type. Checking the type strengths and weakness charts on my Cross-Transciever+ I found that water, grass and fighting type Pokemon are more effective on these types than others. I went back into Viridian forest to find myself a grass type that would help me beat the gym. I crawled through the grass only to find wurmples and the odd weedle. As soon as I gave up and thought of heading back, lo and behold, I find a Shroomish about to eat a Berry! "You're mine!" I exclaimed and took my Pokeball out. Just as I was about to throw it, something flew in fast and hit the Shroomish, throwing it far away into the woods. "Gah! No!" I shouted in frustration. There it was, a perfectly good grass type that could help me win against Brock, but no! Fate wasn't so kind as to let me catch it. I looked around to see what had hit the Shroomish and there it was, sitting and eating Shroomish's Berry. It was a Mankey. "Well, Well, Well... looks like fate isn't that cruel after all.." I whispered softly to myself "Pika Pika..." Piku whispered, agreeing. Mankey is a strong fighting type Pokemon... perfect, I thought. "Hello, little Mankey!" I said brightly, stepping out of the tall grass. The Mankey looked up from the Oran Berry it was eating and contemplated me for a second... and then went back to eating the Berry. I dug around in my bags Berry pouch and found a handful of Berry's. I silently thanked my dad and picked out a Sitrus Berry. "Here, Its tastier than that Oran Berry you're eating..." I said waving the Sitrus Berry in front of the Mankey. He looked up from the Berry and then sniffed the air... getting the smell of the Berry, Mankey got up and started coming towards me. It reached out to grab the Berry but I whisked it away just before he got it. I did all of this slowly and smoothly, so as not to startle him. I picked up my Pokeball in one hand and held the Berry over it with the other. The Mankey appeared to be watching me carefully, wondering what I'm about to do next. I then acted like I was bringing the Berry down on the Pokeball. Just as it touched the top of the Pokeball I let go of it slightly, and using sleight of hand, I transferred it to the palm of my hand. This was a 1st grade magic trick that I once showed Alicia. It was since that day that we started hanging out together... mainly because she wanted to know how I made the Berry go into the Pokeball though... The Mankey fell for it and appeared confused. Then it got angry and leaped at the Pokeball, nicely head-butting the capture button. Mankey disappeared in a flash of red and the Pokeball started shaking in my hand. '1... 2... 3...' I counted out in my mind as the Pokeball shook. <strong>**PING**<strong> The Pokeball pinged to let me know the Pokemon was captured successfully. I released the breath I didn't know I was holding. "Pika Pikachu!" Piku exclaimed happily on my shoulder. "Yeah buddy... we did it!" I told him and started walking back to the exit.

"Yay! I did it!" Alicia shouted and hugged me. "I'm guessing you beat Brock then?" I asked as she let go of me. "Uh huh! And it's all thanks to Squirtle here!" She said excitedly and gestured towards Squirtle who looked pretty happy. "Squirtle Squirt!" He exclaimed just as excitedly as his trainer. "So, how'd your mission go? Caught a grass type yet?" She asked sitting down. I sat opposite to her and said, "Nope... got something better..". "Really? What did you catch?" She asked curiously, stirring her cappuccino. We were sitting in the cafe of the Pokemon centre, having coffee. "I caught..." I said, taking the Pokeball from my belt. I then tossed it casually and said, "Mankey!". Following a flash of light, my newly captured Mankey appeared on the table. "Mankey!" It said and looked at Alicia. "Ooh! A Mankey! Well done, Zack... According to the Pokedex, it's pretty rare around these parts" she said, scanning my Mankey with her Pokedex on instinct. "Here, Mankey... " I said and tossed him the Sitrus Berry I used. "Mankey!" He shouted and happily started eating it. "What's with the Sitrus Berry?" Alicia asked, taking a sip of her cappuccino. "Funny story... it all started with a shroomish..." I started and then told Alicia how I caught the Mankey. "Hahaha! You actually used that old trick and caught it without battling? I'm impressed..." she said. "Well, your turn to tell the story... how was the gym battle?" At this, she grew excited. She explained in detail how she beat Brock with Squirtle and how fun it was. "Hmm... hope I can do the Same..." I said and started thinking about battle tactics. "You'll be fine Zack! I'm pretty sure Mankey can handle those rock types!" She said reassuringly, sensing my nervousness. "I hope your right..." I said. Even though my voice sounded nervous, Alicia's reassuring words had done what they had intended to do... reassure me. "If it helps, I'll help you train your Mankey by having a few battles!" She said suddenly. "Hmm... that would help... a lot! Come on! Let's start right now!" I said, springing out of my seat, feeling determined. "Yeah! Let's do this!" Alicia did the Same, radiating energy. "Come on Mankey! It's training time!" I said and gestured to Mankey to come along. Mankey finished eating his Berry and ran after us, leaving a half full cup of cappuccino on the table. "Pika pi!"

After a few battles with Alicia, Mankey became much more stronger, faster, and more confident. That's why having a partner along for the ride helps... I realized. "I think Mankeys ready, Zack." Alicia said after Mankey beat her Beedrill for the 3rd time. "I guess so... you think you can beat Brock, Mankey?" I asked. "Mankey!" Mankey shouted and banged his chest, king Kong style. "Thanks for helping train Mankey, Beedrill... " Alicia told Beedrill as she put Beedrill back in her Pokeball. "I'm gonna go and get Beedrill healthy again... you go on to the gym. I'll meet you there later!" Alicia said and turned to head back to the Pokemon Centre. "Oh! And Zack..." she turned around. "Yeah?" I asked getting up from where I'd been petting Mankey. "I'm sure you're gonna win!" She said, giving me a Thumbs up and smiling at me before turning around and heading inside. "If anything, that makes me want to win more than anything!" I voiced my thoughts out aloud. "Pika pika!" Piku jumped putting up a paw in front of me. I high fived it and then tied a focus band that my dad had stuffed in my bag around Mankeys head, thanking dad once again. I then put Mankey back in it's Pokeball. "Yeah buddy... we're gonna win!" I told Piku as he jumped on my shoulder. I made the Pokeball in my hand shrink and set out for the gym.

The sun was setting as I entered the gym, bathing the town in an orangish yellow glow. "Welcome to the gym young trainer!" A man in a blue coat welcomed me as soon as I entered the gym. He wore Hippie glasses and his pants were also blue. He wore a white undershirt and had a black tie too. All-in-all he looked pretty official. "Uh, hey..." I said awkwardly. "Pika pe..." Piku scratched his head, wondering who this guy was. "If you're here to challenge the gym, I'd like you to show me your trainer card please..." He said and extended his hand. I took my trainer card from my bag and gave it to him. "Thank you! Now, please wait here a moment.." he said and walked over to one of the two statues in the middle of the gym which had an Onix sculpted on each of them. He then swiped my card in a slit in one of the statues. The onix's eyes glowed red and then green. "All right, you're clear... you may challenge the gym now" he announced and came back. He handed me my card and then said, "Good luck kid!" And returned to his position by the door. "Well... that was pretty weird..." I murmured under my breath as I walked over to where Brock was waiting. "Stop!" A voice from my side said in a gruff tone. I turned in the direction of the voice and saw this older guy dressed in full hiking gear. "I'm the Only gym trainer in this gym! I don't think Brock will have to waste his time with you... I'll beat you myself!" He said and put up his Pokeball, officially challenging me to a battle. "Well, you're badly mistaken if you think you can beat me!" I said and put up my own Pokeball. "Let's find out shall we? Go Geodude!" The hiker threw his Pokeball And in a flash of light a boulder with hands appeared floating in the air. "Well, here we go... Out you come, Mankey!" I shouted and threw my Pokeball like a baseball pitcher. "This isn't going to last long..." the hiker sneered and rubbed his hands. "Oh, it sure isn't going to last long..." I said and smiled.

**********  
>Brock sat in a seat that was carved out of rock and watched me climbing up the stairs with curiosity. "Welcome Challenger!" He said getting up from his seat. "Hey Brock!" I exclaimed, happy to meet one of my idols. "Well... are you ready to take on my rock type Pokemon?" He asked looking at me. "Yep... totally pumped for it!" I said, climbing the last stair and standing on one edge of the arena. "Well, then get ready for your first gym battle!" He said, taking a Pokeball from his belt. "Let's do this..." I said enlarging my Pokeball. "Pika pi..." Piku said softly. "Go Mank-" "WAIT!" A voice echoed through the gym, stopping our battle temporarily. "What are you doing here? You already beat me once." Brock said irritably, looking over my shoulder. I turned around to see who it was and my heart leaped up. Alicia. "I'm not here to battle you again Brock! I just came to cheer on Zack!" Alicia said as she ran up the stairs. "You can watch the battle from the sidelines over there..." Brock said as she climbed the last stair and stepped onto the arena. "Fine. Zack, don't worry! You're gonna be fine!" Alicia said, giving me a reassuring wink before going to stand behind the sidelines. "Well... let's begin then... before any more 'interruptions' occur..." he emphasized 'interruptions' and looked at Alicia when he said that. "Right... Go Mankey!" I shouted as I threw my Pokeball like a baseball pitch one again. In a white flash of light my Mankey appeared on one side of the arena. "Hmph... type advantages are good, but they're not everything that decides a battle! Go Geodude!" Brocks Geodude appeared in a flash of light and faced off against my Mankey. My cross-tranciever+ lit up with the battle details. "Mankey, start off with Karate chop!" Mankeys hand turned white and then he ran towards Geodude, All the while screaming "Mankeeeey!". "Geodude, protect yourself with a defence curl!" Geodude seemed to compress it's body and put its arms in front of it's body in a cross. **WHAM** Mankeys karate chop had hit. My cross-transciever+'s screen updated and Geodudes health bar dropped into the yellow. "Zack, be vary of defence curl! Each time it does that, it's defence goes up!" Alicia advised from the side. "Thanks for th's heads up Alicia! Mankey, Karate Chop one more time!" I commanded. Mankeys hand turned white and he started running at Geodude again. "Hmph... Defence curl again Geodude!" Brock said. Geodude contracted itself and put it's hands in a cross in front of it once more. My Cross-transceiver+'s screen showed that Geodudes defence stat had just been raised . **WHAM**. The blow was so strong, it caused a minor sand veil after it struck. 'This is it', I thought, 'the final blow'. Geodudes health bar fell into the red instead of disappearing altogether. "What?! That was supposed to be the finishing blow!" I cried in disbelief. "Heh. Heh. Heh." Brock's voice could be heard laughing softly. "Geodude, rock throw!" Out of the dust cloud, a ton of rocks started flying out. Two of them slammed into Mankey, tossing him in the air. The Cross-transciever+ blinked, indicating a screen update, but I was too preoccupied in the battle to check. "Mankey... come on! Get up!" I pleaded. Mankey kick-upped himself like a boss and stood ready. "Alright good boy!" I said happily. The dust cleared and we could see Geodude again. "As I said... type match ups aren't everything in a battle..." Brock said calmly. "No... but they are something! Mankey, Karate chop once more!" "Maaan!" He screamed and dashed forward. "Haven't you learned yet? Defence curl, let's go!" With those words, Geodude did the Same thing as before... contracting his body and crossing his arms in front of his body. "Got you now! Jump Mankey!" I said and put my plan into action. "Huh?" Brock looked confused. Mankey leaped up in the air, still with the Karate-chop-whitened-hand, and right over Geodude. Mankey landed on Geodudes blind side, which he hadn't protected with his hands. "Now! Karate chop!" Mankey turned and slammed his light-filled hand onto Geodudes exposed back in one fluid movement. <strong>**WHAM**<strong>... ****THUD**** Geodude stopped hovering and fell to the ground with a dull thud. I checked my Cross-transciever+ immediately after the stunned silence. 'Geodude Fainted' it said. "Yes! Well done Mankey! We beat his Geodude!" I said and jumped in the air. "Return Geodude... Well done, I'd have to say. But you haven't beaten me yet. You've got one more Pokemon of mine to take out..." he said bluntly as he retrieved his Geodude. "All right... looks like it's come to this then... I guess you'll have to battle my Onix for the badge! Go Onix!" Brock pulled out another Pokeball and tossed it, releasing a huge snake-like Pokemon made of boulders. "Do NOT underestimate his Onix, Zack! it can move surprisingly fast!" Alicia said from the other side. "Thanks for the heads up Alicia! Mankey! Focus energy!" Mankey closed his eyes and was surrounded by orange... energy. "Good idea... I guess I'll go for a status increasing move too... Onix! Rock Polish!" Onix closed its eyes and his body started shining brightly... as if they've been freshly... polished. Checking my Cross-transciever+, I found that Onixs speed stat had increased. In the second I took to look at my Cross-transceiver+, Brock had already launched his attack. "Rock tomb, let's go!" Onix picked up a few rocks and tossed them, with surprising speed and precision too! "Mankey, get out of that spot!" I shouted. Mankey moved left and right, but wherever he went a rock fell in front of him and blocked his escape. Ultimately Mankey was boxed in and he had nowhere to run to. "Oh no! Zack, you need to get out of there!" Alicia shouted from the sides, worry apparent in her voice. "Mankey! Oh no! What am I going to do now?!" I feigned my worry expertly. "Ha! Ha! Ha! You actually thought for a moment you could beat me, huh? Well... I'm sorry to 'crush'-" he did the invisible quoted thing "- your dreams... but I guess you're not worthy of my badge yet! Onix! Finish it! Drop the final rock!". I'd seen Brock use rock tomb before and had already developed my own counter for it. I was merely waiting for Brock to start his finishing blow. Onix threw the final rock into the air and it came down right on top of Mankey. "I can't watch!" Alicia turned around just as the rock slammed into the middle of the rock tomb. ****THUD**** "Ha! Ha! Ha! Guess That's about it kid..." Brock said happily. "Mankey!" I said, a crooked smile spreading across my face. Brock appeared agitated and surprised as I turned my hat backwards like Ash had done so many times. I didn't need to check my Cross-transciever+ to know Mankey was still conscious because I knew the focus band would prevent him from fainting. "Break out with a Karate chop Mankey!" I commanded.** **BOOM**** Mankey stepped out of the tomb, injured but conscious. Brock couldn't digest what was happening and he appeared to be paralyzed. "What..." Alicia began, opening her eyes. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw Mankey walking out of the tomb. "Let's finish this... Mankey, low kick!" I commanded, looking directly at Brock. Mankey ran forward at Onix. "Onix! Uh... stop him with a... flash cannon!" Brock seemed unsure what to do at first but seemed to gain his footing in the end. Just as Onix released his flash cannon, Mankey ducked, sliding with his light-filled leg straight at Onix's tail. ****WHAM****

"That. Was. Epic." Alicia repeated as we walked out of the gym. "Pika pi!" Piku squealed in delight as I tossed my new badge in the air. It caught the rays of the setting sun and glinted. "Hehe... that it was..." I tried to play it down but obviously, my happiness was apparent in my wide smile. I caught the badge and brought up Mankeys Pokeball, "Thanks so much buddy... " I whispered and clipped it back to my pants magnetic waist. Mankey fell unconscious shortly after winning the battle... maybe out of happiness but probably because he was tired and injured... after which I collected my badge and registered Brock on my Cross-transceiver+. He was pretty cheerful after I beat him. "That... Was an intense battle! Thank you for that." He had said smiling and pressed the badge into my hand. "You've earned it..." his words filled my mind with happiness. If I was an emoticon right now, I'd probably look like **(^_^)**...  
>"Well... I guess now that we've got our first badges, we should have a battle. A 'no-holding-back battle'... up for it?" Alicia asked standing in front of me and giving me her 'challenge' face with one eyebrow up and one down. Her mouth twitches into her naughty smile, with one side pulled in a grin with the other side of her lips staying where it was. "Hehe... I was hoping you'd ask... let's go!" I said and ran in the direction of the Pokemon Centre. "Hey! Wait up!" I heard her running behind me as she shouted. "Pika!" Piku clung on best he could on top of my hat, which I'd returned to it's original position. **BOOM** The sound coming from the gym stopped me dead in my tracks and wiped my smile off. Turning around, I ran in the direction I had come, only to find that the gym was not visible Thanks to all the dust that was swirling around it. "Alicia!" I shouted as I neared the location of the gym. I ran into the dust cloud to find Alicia, but soon I was so disoriented, I didn't even know where I was anymore. I put my arms in front of my face to prevent the dust from impairing the limited vision I had. "Pi- Chu!" Piku sneezed because of all the dust. I took a look at my partner. He was covering his face with his paws so dust doesnt enter his eyes, and he seemed generally uncomfortable in the dust. "Alic-" a familiar hand cupped my mouth, stopping me mid-word. Another hand helped drag me down to the floor and I saw what was pulling me. More accurately, 'who' was pulling me. Alicia.<p>

As we both sat on the sides of the gym, waiting for the dust to settle, Alicia explained that a person in similar attire to the team we battled at Viridian, had brought out a Blastoise and opened fire on the gym. We were Staked out on a blind side of the gym, where anyone approaching the gym wouldn't see us. I was about to ask Alicia something when the dust settled and this guy came out, dragging a half-unconscious Brock out of the destroyed front door of the gym with a Blastoise lumbering behind him. "We need to help him." I whispered flatly. "How? He has a Blastoise Zack!" Alicia replied. "Well, I've got a Pikachu! Follow my lead!" I said and jumped out of cover. Piku jumped off my hat, landed on my shoulder and ran the length of my extended arm, jumping off at my wrist. "Thunderbolt let's go!" I shouted. The grunt turned around and was about to command his Blastoise, but he was surprised again by Alicia's cry. "Sweetie! Energy Ball!" Both the well-aimed thunderbolt and Energy ball hit their mark, enveloping Blastoise in a cloud of dust. "If you think that'll beat me, you're dead wrong." He said and sneered at us. Blastoise shook off the dust. "Hydro Pump, let's go!" Blastoise shot twin jets of water at Piku and Sweetie who were too slow to avoid it. The jet was so strong it carried them up and tossed them against us. Sweetie flew into my stomach while Piku slammed into Alicia. The force was enough to toss us against the gym wall. **THUD** Me and Alicia hit the wall with two dull thuds and slid to the ground. "Hehe... time to finish you two meddlers... Blastoise! Reload and fire again!"

Opening my eyes, I realised I was in the Pokemon centre. "Alicia..." I said weakly, hoping that she was alright when I should be worried about my own health. "She's fine... just a little winded." Brock replied, stepping into my view. "Uh..." I groaned, clutching my head and sitting up in bed. "What happened?" I asked as I put on the top of my adventure suit that Brock handed me. "Well, that thug was from Team Fusion. They're responsible for all the terrorism going on around Kanto. The thug wanted the silver and rainbow feathers that was given to me by the high priests of Ecruteak city in Johto for safe keeping. I don't see what good it would do them though. The feathers can be used to summon the two legendary birds-" "Ho-Oh and Lugia..." I remembered the legend my dad had told me once. "Right. But Only a person of pure intention can summon the two legendary Pokemon using their feathers... so, it's useless to Team Fusion since they mean to capture those two... Anyway, it was brave of you two to jump in like that and I thank you for it too... but I should also say it was pretty foolish of you too. It's one thing to believe in your Pokemon, but its another thing to be overconfident in their abilities. You need to know when to back down..." Brochure said as he escorted me down to the cafe of the Pokemon Centre. "But, how did we..." I mused out aloud, wondering how we all survived. "Well..." Brock replied, having heard my muse. "Its all Thanks to him..." he gestured towards a boy my age sitting with Alicia in the cafe. They both got up as I came over. I checked out the boy. He wore a black overcoat with a hoodie over his purple T-shirt. He wore blue jeans with black and purple shoes. His hair was curly and had a black coloring with a brown tinge on it. His skin was white unlike mine and Alicia's. All in all, he looked pretty buff too. "Hello!" He beamed at me and thrust out his hands. I don't know why... but I instantly didn't like this guy. Maybe I was just jealous with him for having saved Alicia... I thought and dismissed the matter from mind and smiled back. I shook his hand and said, "Hey!" Brighter than I felt. Sitting next to Alicia, I said "My names Zack, and this is my super-close friend Alicia!". "Well, Nice to meet you two..." he said and smiled. Awkward... I thought. "Thanks for saving our lives Back there..." Alicia said and smiled at him. I guess it just turned into a smile party. "It's no biggie..." he said and smirked. He sat down opposite to us and observed me. "Pika!" Piku came out of nowhere and jumped on me! "Haha! Hey, buddy! Yeah, I'm glad to see you too!" I said and stroked him. "Nice Pikachu you've got there..." The boy remarked. That's when I realized... I had mentally labeled him 'boy'. Deciding to fix that, I said "Dude, didn't get your name though...". "Oh! I forgot to introduce myself... My name is _Moriarty_..." he pushed his hair back. "_Christopher_... Moriarty"  
>**********<p> 


	3. No stone unturned

Ch-3 No stone Unturned.  
>"Watch out!" I caught Alicia by the hand just as she was about to fall down the chasm. "Whew... that was close!" She appeared more nervous than scared for some reason. I pulled her back from the edge. "Pika pi!" Piku scolded her. "Sorry Piku! Won't happen again!" She smiled and patted Piku. "Guys, we need to be careful in here... we can't afford to walk around absent minded!" Chris chided as he walked up to us. "I'm sorry all of you! It's just... my mind was wandering... I promise it won't happen again!" Alicia looked at me expectantly. I understood what that expectant look from Alicia was... "All right then... let's get a move on! This place creeps me out..." I said, changing the subject. "Hmm.. Yes. I guess Zacks right... we should keep moving." Chris agreed and trudged forward. "Thanks!" Alicia whispered as soon as Chris was out of earshot. "You're welcome..." I smiled as she fell in to step beside me. "To be honest, this place does give me the creeps..." Alicia said out aloud after we'd walked quite a bit. "That's because it's dark right now... wait till you see the inner chambers!" Chris said from in front, hearing her. Alicia quickened her pace to catch up with Chris and started talking to him excitedly, leaving me alone with Piku. For some reason, that small gesture made me feel a bit angry towards Alicia... for the 1st time in the 9 years I've known her. I still hadn't gotten used to Chris travelling with us... maybe because we just met him yesterday... maybe because I have this feeling about him... I don't know. I went through what I'd heard about yesterday as I walked, Piku on my shoulder, Boulevard of broken dreams playing in my mind.<p>

"Its not just big, it's confusing and dangerous..." Brock had said as he gave us directions to Cerulean city. I was sitting next to Alicia with Brock and Christopher opposite to us in the Pokemon Centres cafe. "It has chasms that you wouldn't see till it's too late, frequent landslides and so many tunnels that you would get lost very easily without someone who knows their way around the place..." he continued. Alicia seemed interested. If danger and adventure was involved... I wondered what was keeping her from running into right now. "I would help you out personally... but I have my Gym duties to fulfill... along with new orders from the league to not leave the city premises... I'm sorry.." He said, sounding disappointed in himself. "That's Okay..." I said. "We'll ask someone from the city to help us out..." I said, comforting Brock. He seemed to feel better at that. "Well... I've gotta get back to my gym.. wish you guys a good journey! Bye!" Brock said and got up. "And Zack?" "Yeah?" I asked "Don't forget what I told you!" He said and walked out of the cafe, winking at Nurse Joy as he went. "What did he mean?" Alicia asked. "I'll tell you later..." I promised. "Hmm.. fine. But we need to find someone who would take us through ... safely." Alicia said. We began to get up but then Christopher spoke. We'd almost forgotten he was there. "I'll take you" he said simply. "Excuse me?" Alicia asked, sitting back down. I did the Same. Christopher looked directly at me and said, "I've been there before... I can help you two..". "Hmm..." I thought about the offer, though there was no need to... 'but this guy gives me a bad feeling...' "That'd be great!" Alicia spoke up before I could say anything. "Awesome!" Christopher beamed. "Uno Momento, por favor..." I said, speaking a line I'd heard from some Tv show that meant, 'excuse me for a moment'. I dragged Alicia aside and asked her the question that had been swimming around in my mind ever since I met Christopher. "Are you sure we can trust him?" I asked. "Of course we can! He just saved our lives! And What's more he isn't any more trustworthy than anybody else in this city that would be willing to be our guides!" Alicia responded. All good points too. I decided I could trust Christopher since Alicia trusted him... but I still had a strange feeling about him. "All right then... I'm probably just a little too paranoid for some reason... I guess we can trust a guy who just saved our lives.." I agreed. Alicia beamed her approval and walked out of the cafe.

"Oh. My. God." Alicia stressed each word. My mind came back to the cave. And indeed, I would've said the Same thing too. The ceiling of dirt, mud and rock parted in the middle of the spacious cavern, or the 'inner chambers' as Chris called it, and a whole bunch of huge red crystals of varying sizes protruded from the middle. Since the ceiling was pretty high up, we couldn't really touch the crystals. The crystals shone so bright, they illuminated the whole cavern. For some reason, I could sense three feelings being projected from the crystals. Sadness, hate and regret. I actually experienced these three feelings when I looked at them. Having sadness, hate and regret all at once made me feel so queasy that I had to look away. "Behold. The blood crystals." Chris announced and spread his arms toward the crystals, highliting them. I still looked away from the crystals. "Zack, are you alright?" Chris asked. "I don't know man... I just don't feel Well..." I said and sat on a rock. "I guess we should rest here for a while..." Chris said and set down his bag next to me. Alicia flitted around the place taking photos of the giant crystal chandelier and selfies with Chris using her Pokedex. An unidentified feeling came into my mind as I saw those two laughing together and making silly faces for the selfie."I didn't know our Pokedex' could take pictures..." I said out aloud. "I just found this feature yesterday! Pretty cool isn't it?" Alicia talked excitedly as she sat down next to me and started editing her pictures on her Cross-transceiver+. "You're gonna have to teach me how to do that later..." I commented as I took out my water bottle, matte black with a green lightning bolt down the middle, and drank. The water felt good. It washed out those feelings completely. I made a mental note to find out more about the 'Blood Crystals' later. "Is that... no way! It is!" Chris said and got up and ran to one end of the cavern. "He must've spotted something... let's check it out!" Alicia said and ran after Chris. I sighed and then got up. "What did you find Chris?" I asked as I came upto where Alicia had stopped. We were almost in the middle of the cavern, right below the blood crystals. I felt like looking at the crystals, but I could already feel the hate they exuded... so I kept myself from looking up. "This is amazing... and to be out in the open like this!" He said excitedly as he dusted off something. I couldn't see what exactly because his back was turned towards us and he was bending over to dust... whatever it was he was dusting. "What did you find Chris?" Alicia repeated my words. "Behold..." he said again, moving away from whatever it was he was bending over, giving us a clear view of what had got Chris so excited. Two dusty rocks covered in mud were on the floor, side-by-side. They had white marks protruding out from them that formed the shape of two different Pokemon. "The Helix and Dome fossils!" He announced and gestured at the rocks.

Though Chris was pretty excited about them, me and Alicia weren't that enthusiastic. Lying in front of us were the bones of two dead Pokemon. How can anyone be enthusiastic about that? "These fossils can be found in , but only deep inside the tunnels here! This is the first time I've seen... no, even heard of fossils above ground!" Chris continued excitedly. ****THUD**** We heard a soft thud coming from behind us, like a stone falling on the floor from a height. I listened and heard footsteps walking up to us. I noticed that Alicia had also heard the sound and was straining to hear over Chris's excited chatter. "Pika pi!" Piku whispered urgently. "Yeah, Thanks for the heads-up buddy.." I told him. "Ready?" I whispered to Alicia, as I put my hand on a Pokeball on my belt. She nodded and did the Same. Alicia started mouthing numbers, counting down from five. Three... two.. she was about to mouth 'one' when the person behind us spoke. "That's because I dug them up..." the voice was very civilized and intellectual with an undercurrent of authority. I couldn't believe how fast Chris reacted. He turned around, unclipped a Pokeball and threw it in the time I would've take to turn around. Enter Ivysaur. "Pokemon trainers! Delightful!" He said happily. Me and Alicia turned around to see who our adversary was. His sight took Alicia's breath away.

The man was... fabulous by all standards, as Alicia would say. Tall with silver hair, he wore a black suit with matching pants. There was dust on his shoulders and his pants had dust on the knee area too. He had a white complexion and sparkling grey eyes. Without a doubt... this guy was indeed Steven Stone. Heir to the Devon Corporation, former Champion of Hoenn and Alicia's idol. Just as Ash is my idol, Steven is Alicia's. I've told her all I know about Ash and she's told me all about Steven. By now, we both knew Ash's and Stevens Pokemon team, Likes, dislikes and styles by-heart. "Who are you and what do you want?!" Chris asked gruffly. "Chris, stand down. That's Steven. He means us no harm..." Alicia told Chris. Chris withdrew Ivysaur reluctantly. Steven seemed, at the most, intrigued as Alicia said his name. "You recognize me?" He asked Alicia. "We do, sir..." I replied, adding a hint of respect to acknowledge his superiority. "Hmm... interesting..." Steven said and studied us. Alicia was too Star-struck to say anything, and Chris obviously didn't know about Steven... so, I decided it was up to me to prevent an awkward silence. "So, sir, what are you doing in Kanto?" I asked randomly. "Oh! Yes.. Well, I was just visiting my friend Bill and he told me about having rare gems and fossils... And that's why I'm here!" He replied looking at me. "So, you dug up the helix and dome fossils, huh?" Chris asked. "Umm Hmm..." He replied and nodded his head. "Hmm... since I met you trainers, I'd like to ask you... are any of you up for a battle against me?" Steven asked politely. Alicia was still in a daze and Chris was still worried about his fossils. Steven probably noticed that, and he turned and looked straight at me, our eyes locking. "Well, how about it young man?" Steven asked me. I was about to say 'Hell, Yes!' And jump in to battle, but Piku tugged at my ear. I turned so that I could see him and he looked at me. Piku shook his head, indicating that it would be a foolish idea to battle the Hoenn champion at my present stage. "You're right buddy... Thanks for that!" I said and patted Piku who squealed in happiness and then ran up and lay on my hat. "I'm sorry sir! I don't think I'm strong enough to give you a proper challenge... I'd just end up hurting my own Pokemon..." I said and shook my head sadly. Steven started slow clapping, much like a villain would do. "Well done... Well done..." he said, smiling. I looked up and started "Wha-" "I was merely testing you..." Steven explained. "I know you don't have nearly enough training or experience to battle me and win! I was merely seeing if you were a good trainer who put his Pokemons safety before his own!" He laughed lightly. "Well, a wise man once told me sir, 'It's one thing to believe in your Pokemon, but its another thing to be overconfident in their abilities'" I said, remembering Brock's words. "Wise words..." Steven said. "Well, I'd like you to have those two fossils. I've got a lot of them at home... consider it a reward. For being a good trainer... " He beamed at me. Alicia came back to reality and asked me, "is this real... or am I dreaming?" She asked. "You're dreaming sleepy head!" I said and smiled. "Well, I guess I should be getting back to Hoenn... Nice meeting you all!" He said and put his hands in his pockets. He turned to leave. Alicia looked at me, pleading with her eyes. I still havent figured out how, but I understood what she wanted me to do without her telling me a word... again. "Uh... Steven?" I called. "Hmm?" Steven turned around. "Could you-" My words were cut short by a gruff yell from the other side of the cavern, where we entered from. "They're over here! C'mon guys!" A Team Fusion grunt ran up to where we were. By the time he reached us, all of us were looking at him, including Steven. "Get out of the way, man! Team Fusions business is with those three! If you know What's good for you, get out of my way!" The grunt yelled at Steven who was blocking his way to us. All of us enlarged our Pokeballs. I saw Alicia looking at Chris expectantly, as if he had a plan. Steven probably heard the sound of the Pokeballs being enlarged because he said, "Now, Now. Everything can be solved by having a talk about it. Put down your Pokeballs and discuss your problems... " Steven said, as much to us as to the grunt. "You loony man? We're gonna haul these three back to headquarters for torture! They messed up our plans! Now get out of the way!" The grunt put his hand on Stevens suit and tried pushing him out of the way. Steven didn't budge. As soon as he touched Stevens suit, his face went dark. His whole body released darkness and power. "Didn't you hear me, man? Get. Out. Of. My. Way." The grunt reiterated as he staggered back. "Steven... we'll deal with him. You don't need to bother yourself..." Alicia spoke up at last. "Oh! No Bother! Allow me!" He said, his voice menacingly sharp. He flicked his hand forward quickly and with a mechanical sound, a Pokeball appeared in his outstretched palm. He tightened his arm muscles and the Pokeball shot forward. It slammed into the grunts stomach with enough force to knock him down. We shrinked our Pokeballs. "Metagross, we have a few numbskulls to deal with!" He said and the Pokeball opened up as it bounced back, releasing a flash of white light. The Pokeball flew back to Steven and disappeared under the sleeve of his other hand. "Metagross!" Stevens signature Pokemon dominated the foreground. "O.M.G" Alicia said for the second time that day. "We're gonna see Steven battle! Aah!" She whispered excitedly to me and then pinched my arm. "Hey! Stop it!" I said, smiling. "Metagross... " Steven said softly. "Meteor Mash!" The grunt had barely gotten up and as soon as he did, he was met with a flaming steel fist.** **PAFF**** The grunt flew to the other end of the room. "Aah! That felt good..." Steven turned towards us and commented. His body relaxed and he stopped exuding darkness. "Quiet annoying this Team Fusion, aren't the-" Steven stopped as we heard more heavy footsteps. Five more grunts ran in from the entrance, and, seeing their colleague lying in an unconscious heap on the floor, ran at us, Pokeballs raised. "Although I can battle them all alone, your help would make things go a little faster..." Steven said and turned back to his Metagross. "Well... shall we?" Chris asked, enlarging his Pokeball once again. "We shall Chris, We shall..." I said and did the Same. Alicia nodded enthusiastically and enlarged her Pokeball. I caught her looking at Chris again. The unidentified feeling that I had felt earlier was back."Ole!" I said, remembering a line from a Tauros fighting show I'd seen on TV trying to forget the feeling and focus on battling.

"Zack and Alicia... how long have you known each other?" Steven asked as we walked out of the cave. Sunlight hit our faces. I stood there for a minute, enjoying the warmth of the sun we didn't get inside the cave. "We've known each other since we learnt how to talk!" Alicia said happily, skipping along by Chris's side. She seemed to have gotten over her fright of talking to Steven. "Ahh... I see. You two battled like you were one, not two. Playing on each others strengths and defending each others weaknesses... I've never seen anyone double-battle the way you two have! You two were in perfect sync!" Steven praised. Alicia blushed. "And Christopher?" "Hmm?" Chris looked up as he heard his name being mentioned. "So far... I've never seen a Pokemon trainer with just one badge battle so skillfully... You have great potential!" Steven smiled. Chris seemed happy enough... but there was still something about that guy... I dismissed the thought mind almost as soon as it flitted across. He stood up for us in front of Team Fusion twice... I figured I should cut the guy some slack. Stevens Cross-Transceiver+ pinged once. He looked at it and a frown came across his face for a second, but then concealed it. Steven looked at Alicia and said,"As much as I've enjoyed your company, I'm afraid I must part ways with you now... Apparently, the league wants me to attend to something...". Alicia looked sad, but I guess she understood. "Thank you for your helping us out back in the cave, Steven sir..." Chris said and held out his hand to shake it. "I'm pretty sure you could've won even without me..." Steven shook Chris's hand. "May we register each other, sir?" Alicia asked hopefully. Steven then noticed we were all wearing Cross-Transcievers. "Why not..." Steven then bumped his Cross-Transciever+ with each of ours, officially registering us. "Hmm... Zack Lance and Alicia Bruno? Is it just me, or are your parents Elite 4 Members?" Steven asked looking at his screen. "Wait... You two are E4 kids?! Why didn't you tell me?!" Chris shouted more than asked. "Well, you didn't ask us!" Alicia answered Chris. "How did you find that out by just registering us? Our full names aren't used when registering Cross-Transcievers..." I asked, curious. "Hehe..." Steven smiled mischievously. "It's this new feature I've been working on for the Cross-Transciever+... Your trainer card is connected with your Cross-Transciever+. Even though it's not supposed to do that, the trainer card sends out these minor signals that your Cross-Transciever+ recognizes. It stores your trainer info in a hidden part of it's memory. The feature I created allows trainers to access this hidden part and exchange trainer cards and also use the Cross-Transciever+ as your trainer card!" Steven explained. "So... " I asked, still curious. Alicia and Chris were somewhere behind us talking about something pleasantly. The unidentified feeling returned. "With this feature, people can exchange trainer cards with a bump, they can just show their Cross-Transciever+ to the places you would need to use your trainer card! Once I'm Doe testing it completely, people wouldn't need trainer cards anymore! Hassle-free verification and Consequence-less card sharing!" He smiled. "I have an idea!" Steven said suddenly. "Let me upgrade your cross-transcievers! You can be my beta testers!" He looked excited. I grinned and said, "We would be honored to be your beta testers sir!"

"Well, I've gotta go now! Hope we meet again!" Steven put his hand up and a Pokeball appeared there from under his sleeve. I was curious, but I decided not to enquire further. As before, he tightened his muscles and the Pokeball shot into the air. "Skarmory, let's go!" The white flash of light released Stevens skarmory, a steel/flying type. "Skar!" It screeched. Steven jumped on top of it and smiled at us. "Well... Ciao then!" Steven flew off at a blinding speed. Me and Alicia waved at him till he was just a speck on the horizon. I looked at Chris and sighed. He was sleeping under a tree. 'Poor guy must've been tired from that walk through the cave...' I thought as I reached out to shake him awake, but just as I reached him, Alicia grabbed my hand. I looked at her questioningly. "What?" She gestured for me to move away from him. I did so and then she whispered to me, "Zack... there's something I've been wanting to tell you..." Those words made me a bit edgy though I don't know why. Her cheeks were red and her eyelashes kept fluttering. I could tell she was about to tell me something she'd been keeping in for a while. "Well, ever since Chris saved us... well, I've just had this feeling about him..." She refused to look me in the eyes and kept playing with her hair. "What do you mean?" I asked, swallowing a little. "Zack!" She dropped her hair and looked me in the eyes and I could see that spark of happiness she has in her eyes when she enjoys something. "I'm saying... " "Go on..." I prompted. "I think... I'm in love with him". That's when I identified that feeling Ive been having. Jealousy.


	4. Rival Destinies

Ch-4 Rival Destinies. "Dodge it using Quick Attack!" I shouted to Piku strategically as the poorly aimed water pulse flew at him. Piku nodded and then jumped to the side in a blur, dodging the water pulse easily. He then ran forward, leaving behind a streak of yellow, straight at Staryu. **BAM** Piku tackled Staryu so hard, it went flying out of the Arena and slammed into the wall behind it's trainer, finally falling into the water in the pool behind. "Yes!" I was about to give Piku a fist-bump when Misty shouted. "WE'RE NOT DONE HERE! STARYU!" Hearing it's trainer so angry, Staryu jumped out of the pool. I have to admit, I would've done the same if I were Staryu. "If we're not done yet, then... Piku!" The battle was back on, now. Piku concentrated on the battle once again. "Wrap this up buddy, Thunderbolt!" Piku grinned as he jumped in the air and let loose a powerful bolt of electricity, heading straight at Staryu. Misty's face was a mix of emotions as the bolt slammed into Staryu. **ZAP** Staryu convulsed and then stood still for a second, smoking. Then, it fell, unconscious. The battle was over. **********  
>"Bet you can't do better than that!" I smirked as I showed Chris the stopwatch Alicia had started at the beginning of the battle. It now showed **8:27**, making it a new record. I smiled as I saw my name glowing on the board near the entrance of the gym. Now, I held the record for the fastest gym win in the Cerulean city gym. The previous record was by some guy named "Red" with a time of **8:47** and I had beaten his record by a whole 20 minutes. 8 minutes and 23 seconds... I'd like to see Chris best that! Chris smiled as he took the stopwatch and then reset it. No matter, I had already taken my selfie with it and Piku as soon as I beat Misty with my Pokedex. He then asked us to wait outside and walked in, grinning all the way. *He's confident he can beat my score... but little does he know, that Misty likes to stall and play more on Defense than actually attacking, dragging the battle out.* I thanked my lucky stars that Dad had already given me a strategy to beat Misty after I told him how I struggled at Brock's gym. Another point for Dad. "You did really well Zack!" Alicia hugged me from behind as she jumped on Me and almost toppled me over. "That's the first time someone's beaten that old record since it was first made 20 years back!" She said, once again displaying her extensive knowledge on... well, *everything*. "Pika pi?!" Piku appeared surpised at this news. "All Thanks to you buddy!" I smiled and ruffled the fur on his head playfully. She was still holding on to my neck with her hands and hugging me from behind. Alicia played with my newly earned Cascade Badge, catching the sun at one point, blinding me temporarily. I noticed I enjoyed this... The sun shining down on my back, the feeling of achievement as well as Pikus weight on my shoulders, the feel of Alicia's hair brushing against my ears, her hands wrapped around my neck, Her fingers playing with the badge in front of me, and the smell of her perfume- Minty Lemon Grass with an undertone of the citrusy zest of orange, subtle yet overpowering, teasing my nose felt awesome... but for some reason, I was wishing Chris was here to see this. We both remained like this for a while and then Alicia's Cross-Transciever started ringing. Ruining yet another beautiful moment was a call from some vagabond who was, in all likelihood, calling to boast about his buff rattatata. I sighed sadly as Alicia let go of me and checked her call. Piku jumped off of Alicia's hair and landed on my shoulder, leaving me wondering when he climbed up there. Her face darkened as she saw who the caller was. From that, I could guess who was calling... I guessed it was the same guy who had destroyed our moment last time. She muttered something to me and went off to answer her call, handing me the badge. *Private, huh?* I thought as I waited outside the gym for my 'friend' to come out. A feeling of loneliness came over me as the wind blew by, ruffling my exposed hair. "At least I still have you, Piku... " I sighed and thought back to the day before, something I've been doing a lot now. Apparently, thinking back made me calm for some reason. **7:48** He still hadn't come out yet... *good...*<p>After we'd reached the Pokemon Centre, we each checked into a room using our new Cross-transciever Trainer Cards whuch Alicia had dubbed them 'Transceiver cards'. As I walked into the room, I observed the place like I always did with any new room or environment I'm put into. Tidily made bed, Neatly folded towels and bath robes, a mediocre-looking Tv and a shelf full of books and magazines and a smallish window. Yep. Standard Pokemon Centre Temporary Traveller Room. The only thing different was a Balcony in my room. I guess I had gotten lucky since balcony rooms are usually always occupied. I crashed down on the bed and Piku jumped off, going to the balcony to explore the new area. I sighed as I remembered what Alicia had told me. "... I think I Love him..." The words kept ringing in my head like a funeral bell. I was slightly disgusted at myself for what I replied, but I'm glad I did say so. "Alicia..." I had said as I sat her down on a rock. "It's natural to feel something like that towards the person who saved you... But, what I think you should do is wait for a bit. If that feeling continues to be only for Chris, then I'd say you found your 'other half'" Air quoting the 'other half' part. Alicia had looked a bit sullen, but then she let it go. I know she trusted my judgement completely. "You're right Zack... I just met him! I can't just go around dating strangers!" I breathed a sigh of relief, mentally. I didn't realize at the time that I was angry I couldn't save her and now, I was annoyed at the fact that she loved Chris, a guy she just met! I wondered why I was getting so worked because she said that she loved Chris. Then it hit me. I wanted her to love *me*! Even though I was so close to her that I knew her better than she knew herself, I realised I wanted more. I didn't want to give her up to Chris. I wanted her all to myself. Another feeling I'd been harboring since I saw the 'Blood Crystals'. Selfishness. I wondered how I was going to change her mind about her feelings towards Chris but then thought better of it. *She'll realise it's a feeling built only on gratitude for saving her. Won't she?* All these thoughts floated around in my mind as I changed into my comfortable night clothes- A plain blue T-shirt with navy blue trackpants. I stowed my bag under the bed and released Mankey. "Buddy, you can sleep in there..." I pointed towards the Open door that led to the Pokemon part of the room. The whole *room* was actually divided into 2 parts. One half for the Humans and the other half for the Pokemon. Manley nodded and walked towards the place, obviously tired. After all, he was the one who helped clear so many Pokemon in ... I walked to the balcony, wanting to take a breather before going to bed. Piku smiled at me as I came out of the room and onto the Balcony. He was sitting on the edge of the Balcony wall and looking out at the moon. I stood near him and scratched under his ear softly as I looked at the Moon. It was full tonight, brightly illuminating Cerulean City, making the many waterbodies glitter eerily. "Hey!" I heard the voice calling out to me, shattering the serene silence of the night. I turned around to face the owner of the voice. He was on another balcony, a few feet apart from mine. Probably in the next was wearing a purple T-shirt with a KL- Polo logo on it with a brown pair of shorts that just about reached his knees. He looked at me and grinned, waving. Without a doubt, this was the exact same person I was thinking about. Christopher Moriarty. Since it would be *impolite* to ignore him after I've already showed signs that I had heard I waved back and returned the greeting. That returned greeting turned into a pretty long topic starting with the awkward weather and then stretched on to legendary Pokemon. This conversation lasted all the way till 1 in the morning. I was pretty surprised because the only other person I've actually talked so long with was Alicia. If anybody asked me how me and Chris became rivals... well, I'd say it was due to this conversation (secretly though, its also because of Alicia). Chris and I had conflicting opinions on everything. If you take a random Pokemon that I like, chances are Chris likes the counterpart. Take Butterfree for example. I like it and lo, and behold! Chris likes Beedrill. We were basically opposites of each other. This conflict is what made me his rival. This wanting to show him that *my* opinions were better than his. That night, I learned a lot about Chris, but that feeling I had ever since I first met him? It was still there. **********<br>"Zack!" I whipped my head around to see Alicia power-walking towards me. She had tear streaks down her cheeks and her eyes were reddened. Her expression was one of pain and sadness. **8:00** Chris still hadn't come out. Excellent. But more than Chris, right now... I was worried about Alicia. "What happened?" I asked as she came closer to me. She walked straight up to me and hugged me. Tight. I hugged her back out of instinct. "This is unexpected... not saying I don't enjoy it, but..." I released myself from her and held her back. "What happened?" I reiterated. "My D-dad..." She choked. Then she broke down crying. **8:13**. I sat down next to her on the bench in front of the gym. I let her cry, knowing it's better to let it all out rather than keeping it in. "Let it all out... cry till you're Ready to speak again..." I whispered as I held her tightly, letting her cry on to my shoulders. Piku rubbed her head, making her feel a bit better. Once she was done, I handed her a tissue to clean herself up. She did so and then explained. When we left Viridian, her dad had thought she was headed to cinnabar, going a long way away from me. He didn't know that she had changed her plans and come along with me. He found out somehow and he just blasted her through the Cross-Transciever+. But That's not why she was crying. Her dad had said he would come here, and take her all the way back to Pallet town and set her on her old course again. She'd pleaded with him in all ways possible, but he didn't want to hear it. He didn't want his daughter hanging around with a clumsy oaf. Ouch. I was calming her down, telling her that it'll be alright when I got a call. I was going to just cancel it, but this time... it was from *my* dad. "Hey, I'm sorry... but.." I showed her my Cross-Transceiver+. She was kind enough to let me take the call. She placed her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes, probably thinking. Piku sat on her lap, warming her with his soft fur. "What's up dad?" I tried to look as casual as possible. "Bruno's going nuts down here! He wants to bash your skull till it's just mush..." Dad was a little bit hyper, but he kept his voice as even as possible. I inhaled sharply. Sure, I was strong for my age... but I was nowhere near as strong as a professional body builder like Bruno. "Thankfully... we talked him out of it... we as in the rest of the E4" I heaved a breath of relief at that. "And..." he smiled. "I've got even better news, for you!" Dad smiled. I wondered, as any normal person would, what it was. "He won't be coming to collect his daughter either... we explained why her travelling along with you is much more safer than her travelling alone!" I grinned. "Thanks a lot Dad! I owe you guys!" I managed to get a glimpse of the other stop watch. **8:20** 7 more minutes and he'll be behind me. The news was getting better and better... "You're welcome son! Anyway, take care of yourself and... call often okay?" "Absolutely dad! Bye!" "Pika pi!" Piku waved his bye to dad too as I ended the call. I then shook Alicia, waking her. She had been sleeping. I guessed she was tired from her gym battle and her fight with her dad... "Wha-?" She asked a bit dazed. "Awesome news! Your dad's not coming!". Her eyes widened in surprise and she became completely conscious, her eyes sharpened and her daziness wore off. "Really?!" "Yep..." I smiled, "The E4 talked some sense into him..." Her brilliant smile returned. "So... I can continue travelling with you?" "Yep... you don't need to worry about anything, I've got your back now!" She smiled and then said, "Well, I wasn't scared about anything happening to myself... I was just concerned about your well-being since you couldn't do a thing without me!" she laughed lightly, happily. She was indeed back to herself. **8:25** I beamed. 2 more minutes and I'll able to keep my titl- "Yes!" Chris walked upto us pumping his fist in the air. *Oh no...* My eyes darted to the record board. It glared at me like some sort of hateful Pokemon. A new name was flashing across it. Christopher Moriarty. **********  
>Though I was happy about Alicia getting to stay, I was mostly miserable the rest of the day because Chris had beaten my record by 5 minutes. **8:22** was the new record. I sighed as I stirred my coffee. Piku sniffed the coffee eagerly, wondering what it was. "So..." Alicia started, breaking the awkward silence. I looked up. Chris still had that smug expression plastered on his face. I scowled. He'd had that same expression ever since he waved the badge and stopwatch in front of me. "Where are we headed next?" She turned to me and asked. *At least she still considers you the leader of the pack...* The thought gave me comfort and I perked up a bit. I stopped stirring. Piku took a lick of coffee and then rolled the flavour around his mouth. He squealed in delight and took a bigger sip. He liked it. "Well, I was thinking of staying in Cerulean City for another day..." Chris looked surprised. He put his hand up. "Question: Why not just move on to the next gym?" I answered, calmer than I'd imagined I would be. "If we just walk in there and challenge the next gym, I'm pretty sure we'll lose. We need to train our Pokemon." After questioning looks from both of them, I explained further. "Nugget bridge lies north of here and beyond that lies Route 24 and 25. There are many trainers and wild Pokemon around that area. We can train our existing party and also catch new Pokemon. At the end of Route 25 is-" "Cerulean Cape!" Alicia finished. Piku stumbled back from the coffee mug due to Alicia's sudden exclamation. I leaned back in my seat, "And Bills House..." I added. "Who's Bill?" Chris asked. "Bill invented the PC system. He's a genius and all-around PokeManiac. He's also an old friend of Dads, he can help us along our journey..." Alicia smiled. She liked the sound of battling trainers and wild Pokemon, but mainly, I guessed, she wanted to go to Cerulean cape. "Any objections?" I asked after taking a sip of the Coffee. I almost gagged on it. I looked at Piku questioningly. *Way too bitter! Why does Piku enjoy this?* Alicia shook her head, "Nope... I'm actually looking forward to it!". Chris simply shrugged his shoulders. "What?" I asked him, getting over the flavour of the awful coffee. "I personally think it's a waste of time. So, I'm gonna stay back here and relax a bit. Kick back my legs, watch the telly, mingle with the locals... you guys can go on." He then got up and walked back to his room. Piku resumed his conquest of the coffee mug. Alicia shrugged. "Oh well... we're still going to Cerulean Cape right?" She asked eagerly. "Why else would we go through hordes of wild Pokemon, a bridge filled with strong trainers, more trainers, more wild Pokemon and a river ?" I asked sarcastically for which I received a punch to the arm. "Stop being so sarcastic!" I grinned at her as she got up and walked to the elevator. "Well? Aren't you going to bed?" She asked as she waited for the elevator door to close. "Ive got some stuff to do... Don't worry, we'll definitely go to Cerulean Cape..." I smiled as the elevator door started closing. "Well... don't stay up too late!" She waved a hand as the door closed and she was seen no more. I sighed and looked outside. It was foggy and you could almost feel the cold night air through the window. Piku shivered from looking outside and then sipped a bit of coffee. *Well, time to meet up with Misty...* I took another swig of coffee before putting on my jacket. Bad idea. The coffee was disgusting. *********<br>My mum had told me when I was 12: Of all the people in the region of Kanto, if you ever need any advice on relationships, visit one person and one person only. Misty of Cerulean city. At the time I didn't take it very seriously, all my relationships being clear and solid then. Now, though... I wasn't so sure. *Well... I guess I can trust Misty. She was my mom's student at a time...* Thoughts like *is this really necessary*, *do I trust Misty?*, *What am I doing this for?* floated around in my mind as I walked through the city with my Hood pulled up, Piku in my arms, shivering slightly due to the cold. I brushed all these thoughts aside as I reached Mistys hou- no, Mansion. I looked up in awe of the size and grandeur of the building. A low whistle escaped my lips and Piku whispered in awe, "Pika... Pi..." **********  
>The whole structure probably stood on a plot of 5 Acres. The Mansion overlooked a stream that ran in front of it and then let out into the main river in Cerulean city. Various types of flowers were arranged beautifully, but the colors weren't that noticeable since it was night and the fog was pretty thick. That was all pretty mediocre... but it was the main building that took ones breath away. The front porch had a vintage Rapidash GT (mint condition too) Lounging in it. The Walls were made of granite and black stone, engraved and shaped crefully by hand. The front door was built of well-polished solid Oak. The Porch had a roof above it in the shape of a giant Pokeball. The building itself was at least three to five storeys high with the width of a football field. The structure was Victorian. The windows and window sills proved that. The house was brightly illuminated too. Just the size of the house took away ones breath. I saw a garage with even more vehicles inside. A modern Black Rapidash GT gleamed in the moonlight along with a sleek looking silver Liepard LX500 and a red Dodge Seviper. She wasn't just rich... she had style. I walked up to the door as I silently commended her selection in vehicles and then rang the doorbell. My heart almost stopped when I heard the doorbell. It was the same music you hear in one of those vampire movies. *du du dunnnn da... da du daaaa duuuh...* (Cell phone theme in Pheonix Wright: Justice For All Case 1). Honestly If this were a cartoon, like Scooby doo, the mystery solving poochyana, My skeleton would've jumped out of my skin. Piku was, however, still too preoccupied with the cold and not bothered by the creepy doorbell. The door opened and a pretty maid answered cheerily. "Hello sir! Mistress Misty has been waiting for you!" I managed to smile weakly as I followed the maid in. The insides of the Mansion were even more amazing than the outside. The whole place was lit up by a soft, warm, yellowish orange glow. The walls were lined with portraits and landscape paintings. The lamps were intricately designed and had beautiful, flowing patterns on the glass and their holders. The floor had an omnipotent red Velvet carpet which almost made you sink into it. The place had a controlled temperature which made Piku stop shivering. He jumped out of my arms and went around to explore. The maid took me up a flight of stairs which were made of solid oak, covered with the ever-present red velvet carpet. After we hit the landing, I observed pictures of Misty and some other girls here and there. I wondered who they were as we passed numerous doors, heading towards the balcony. Misty was standing there, leaning against the wall with her back turned to me. She was wearing blue jeans, a yellow tank top and had let her hair come loose. Since she returned to her gym after travelling with Ash, she had trashed the old look and changed her hairstyle and general appearance a lot. She wasn't carrying any Pokeballs however. The maid gestured for me to go in. When I stepped on to the balcony, which was just granite and black stone, I realized this was not only the balcony, but also formed the roof for the porch. "Good to see you again, Zack..." Misty turned around to speak with me. "Yeah, same here..." I put my hand on the back of my neck, feeling nervous all of a sudden. Misty walked up to me, her Reeboks padding against the rough granite. "You said you wanted some insight into your relationship?" I nod. This is what I had come for. No going back now. "Yeah, I did. You see Misty... " I walked closer to her and poured my heart out, telling her everything. Jealousy, Pain, Anger and Resentment from the past few days were recounted. All my feelings were laid bare. To this day, I haven't realized why I trusted Misty so much... but, I told her everything. **********<br>After I was done, I felt a bit drained... but on the whole, satisfied. I'd gotten that weight off my chest before it got too heavy to bear. Misty had closed her eyes and was standing in front of me, leaning against the railing of the balcony. I was afraid she'd dozed off, but she cleared my doubts by opening her eyes. "Well, the only thing I can tell you is that you need to calm down..." she locked eyes with me when saying this. "To me, it seems you're overreacting... I think you should wait it out, see what happens..." I was a bit angry at this for some reason. I tore my eyes from hers and looked down. Misty could probably feel that anger in me, because she said, "I know it may sound stupid and it probably annoys you, but the thing is... That's the best you can do for now. Lay off, don't get too possessive, don't annoy her, and most of all... Don't tell her your feelings." Her voice was even and calm. "But if I don't... then how can she..." I wasn't sure what to say. "From your description of your relationship with Alicia, I can gather that there is nothing more you want than to keep her happy, and you don't think Christopher is capable of that, am I right?" She looked at me, waiting for the answer. "Yes... That's exactly what I think." My voice had stopped shaking and was now even. Now, I looked straight at Misty, locking eyes with her. "Honestly, if Alicia likes Christopher and wants to date him, then standing against her would make her *un*happy. Alicia would be more happy with you if you support her decision rather than oppose it... To me, the best way for you to keep Alicia happy would be to *let her go*. If you tell her how you really feel about her, that would make her uncomfortable since she already told you about her feelings towards Chris. You get what I'm saying?" Though my first feeling was anger, I knew underneath it all that Misty was right. I had to let her go. "So, that means... I'll never be anything more to her than her best friend?" Misty walked towards me and lifted my chin up. She looked deep into my eyes with her Ocean blue eyes. "Look... I know it's hard, but I know as well as you do that You've got to *let her go*..." She stepped away then. "It's not necessarily true that she would continue loving him though... it might just be a spur-of-the-moment thing, or she may just be saying that to get your attention... but anyhow, I advice you to wait it out, see what happens. Alicia may be just as unpredictable in her life as she is in battle, so you never know... So, take my advice Zack... wait it out." By then, I had gotten over my anger and now I was quite impressed by Mistys sage-like advice. She was good. I smiled. "Thanks for making me understand, Misty..." She did a small bow and then grinned. "No problem! Anything for my teachers kid!" She walked by me and motioned for me to follow. I did so and fell into step beside her. "It's a cold night tonight isn't it?" She asked as we started descending the stairs. "Yep... Piku was shivering all the way over..." That's when I noticed his absence. *It's been almost an hour... where is he?* I scanned the hall once we were downstairs but to no avail. My yellow-furred buddy wasn't there. "By the way..." Misty turned to face me. "Where is Piku? I wanted to congratulate him on beating me, but I was too angry at the time to do so... " Misty looked at me. "Well, he jumped off as I started climbing up the stairs," I indicated to the stairs just to emphasize the point. "So I just kinda let him roam..." I felt a bit embarrassed for some reason... *maybe cause you lost your partner?!* I pushed out the voice inside me and asked Misty, "Could you help me find him? I need to go to Cerulean cape tomorrow... So, I kinda need a bit of sleep..." "What kind of a question is that?! Of course I'll help you!" I imagine all girls get worked up when you mention 'Cerulean Cape' cause Misty went into a frenzy. She called all her maids, whose names I learned as 'Victoria', 'Julia', 'Sandy', 'Casey' and 'Rose'. All of them split into teams. Misty with Julia, Sandy with Casey and Victoria with Rose. I was left alone, so not wanting to be teamless, I joined in Victoria and Rose's team. We began the hunt for Piku.

After about an hour of searching, we finally found the little guy. Me, Rose and Victoria were walking into the second pantry (Yeah, the Mansion had two pantries, not one...) to check it. I'd walked up to a closet and was about to Open it when Victoria grabbed my hand and shook her head, indicating that she didn't want me to Open the closet. Not wanting to offend the lady, I stepped away from the closet. As we reasumed our search of the room, I asked Rose once Victoria was out of ear-shot, "What's in the closet?" Rose simply shrugged. "None of us know... it's Victoria's Secret." I was about to ask her something else when we heard a noise in a cupboard. All of us ran to it and opened it, revealing a Pikachu with his head stuck in a jar. I checked his tail to make sure it was indeed Piku and sure enough, it was. After the removal of the jar from his head and alerting the others that the target was found, I examined the contents of the jar. Coffee powder. "Hey Zack!" Misty called as I started heading towards the door with Piku safely on my right shoulder after giving my Thanks and said my goodbyes. I turned around, smiling. I was feeling much better. Misty walked up to me and bumped her Cross-Transciever+ on mine, effectively exchanging her trainer card and registering herself on mine. "There... now, we've registered each other." I grinned at her. "Now, I can call and ask you stuff if I need any advice!" I said, stating the obvious. "Yep... now, you update me on any new" wink "developments..." She then walked back to her maids and waved as I walked out, smiling and slightly blushing for some reason. I could hear Misty saying, "Have a good night, Zack! Be sure to enjoy Cerulean Cape!" as I stepped back into the bitingly cold night. "Well buddy..." I said, looking at Piku. "To Cerulean cape then!" "Pika pika!" Piku chided me, reminding me to stay calm and not be too eager. "Right... still got," I checked my Cross-Transciever+ for the time. **11:58 Pm**. "Seven hours left..." "Pika!" "Right... and two minutes. Anyway," I smiled. "Tomorrow's gonna be a good day... got to get some sleep In, right?" Piku nodded in agreement. I grinned as I pulled my jacket closer around me and walked back to the Pokemon Centre with the full moon shining on me like a huge silver drachma. ********* 


End file.
